Protecting employees in the workplace is a top priority and concern for any company. It saves lives, prevents injuries, and improves productivity.
When the workplace is safe, employees are inspired to do their best work.
Ways to Protect Your Employees in The Workplace
A safe environment may also help attract and retain good employees and minimise absences. It is important to create a safe work environment because it will benefit everyone both during and after employment.
On the other hand, an unsafe workplace can take a major toll on your bottom line – employees need days off due to injury, sick time for recovery, and workers’ compensation payouts related to workplace accidents.
Below are cost-effective ways to protect your employees in the workplace.
1. Maintain a safety culture
Having a culture of safety is probably the most important thing an employer can do. The more employees feel like the boss is genuinely concerned about their safety, the more likely it that they will be sensitive to potential hazards and report them to their supervisors.
All employers have a legal duty to ensure that the work environment is safe and secure for workers. An important part of that duty is taking proactive steps to manage risks in order to prevent injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
This includes monitoring, evaluating, controlling, as well as eliminating or minimising all hazards in the workplace that is reasonably likely to cause harm.
2. Educate your employees about ergonomics
Workplace safety is a huge liability, and workplace injuries can lead to very expensive compensation claims. Educating employees about ergonomics is one way to protect your employees in the workplace.
With that being said, the next time you see someone extending his or her arms out all the way or walking around hunched over, take a minute to talk with them about their posture and how it may affect their back.
Doing so could save them an expensive trip to the doctor, and you might just come off as being a hero for keeping your employees healthy.
3. Make safety equipment available
The importance of providing safety equipment is not only to comply with government requirements but also to protect the workers, the employer, and the business product or service.
It is equally essential to ensure that the safety equipment is being used effectively to help minimise the risk of workplace accidents.
4. Employers’ liability insurance
Employers’ liability insurance is all about protecting your employees and the public from injury. It is also a legal requirement for businesses in the UK. When a workplace accident occurs, the first question that comes to mind is: whose fault was it?
Regardless, it is your job to ensure that they are looked after and supported during their employment, and liability insurance is the way to do this.
Without your workforce, the company would not succeed. By ensuring their safety in the workplace, you ensure they are performing to their best ability and giving them a sense of protection that they may not otherwise have felt prior to your efforts. Protect your employees, and you will protect your business.
